Custardy, soft french toast is a classic breakfast option. You can do so much with the basic recipe just by using different types of bread. White bread makes the most basic french toast, while cinnamon raisin bread makes the dish taste almost like a cinnamon bun. Unlike pancakes, where you can just toss in some berries, it can be difficult to add additional flavors or textures to french toast, but if you can manage it, you’ve just taken a good breakfast dish to a great one.

This is one of my favorite french toast variations: Cereal-Crusted French Toast. The concept is the same as breading chicken or pork, but instead of dipping the egg-soaked bread into breadcrumbs, you dip it into cereal. I like to use Rice Krispies for this, as they are easy to stick onto the toast and cook up nicely. Crushed cornflakes work very well, too, but there are many other cereals that should work. Kids might even like to see colorful crushed Fruit Loops coating their toast. I would just avoid using cereals that have add-ins, like dried fruits or marshmallows, both of which might burn as the french toast cooks and won’t contribute to the crunchy crust on the toast. I would also recommend using a thicker, or firmer, bread for this recipe because the bread will be a little easier to handle when you go to dip it in the crushed cereal mixture.

The crusted french toast doesn’t take any longer to cook than regular french toast, but should be served immediately to preserve the crispiness of the cereal coating. The number of pieces of french toast you get from this recipe will vary based on your bread selection, but the recipe can easily be doubled if you need to serve a crowd.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour into a pie plate.
Place crushed cereal into another pie plate or shallow, wide bowl.
Preheat frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Lightly grease with butter or nonstick spray.
Soak each slice of bread in the egg mixture, turning once to coat thoroughly. Carefully transfer bread to cereal plate, and press down to coat both sides of the bread.
Cook french toast on preheated griddle until it is cooked through – no liquid should run out when lightly pressed – and lightly browned on both sides.